Workout Summary
- Main GoalBuild Muscle
- Workout TypeSplit
- Training LevelIntermediate
- Program Duration10 weeks
- Days Per Week5
- Time Per Workout45-60 minutes
- Equipment RequiredBarbell, Bodyweight, Cables, Dumbbells, EZ Bar, Machines
- Target Gender Male & Female
- Recommended Supps
- Workout PDF Download Workout
Workout Description
Traditional body part splits have been around for a long time.
And there’s a lot of reasons why.
- They clearly work in promoting muscle growth.
- They’ve been promoted by some of the industry’s top athletes.
- Who doesn’t like a good pump?
But probably the biggest reason of them all – they fit in nicely with the work week schedule.
With all the hoopla about making sure to hit each body part twice a week, we’ve been committed in bringing you guys workout routines that fit that mold.
But today, we’re going back to our roots on this one and providing you with a solid bro(ette)-split you can do during the week.
Enjoy!
Editor's Note: Make sure you’re doing all the right things you need to be doing to build lean muscle mass. For those looking for a more in-depth resource to teach them how to build muscle, we’ve created a FREE 5 day Muscle Building Email Course.
The course will teach you how your body builds muscle, how to utilize workout plans on our website to maximize muscle growth, how to eat to build muscle, how to supplement to build muscle and how to track your progress.
Sign up below today to learn and ensure you get the most out of this workout program.
The M-F Workout Routine
The following workout is meant to be performed Monday through Friday.
Each day you will work a different body part. The goal of each workout is to achieve a pump. Get in, stimulate the muscle, get out, and recover.
Rest periods in between exercises should be limited to 60-90 seconds, and rest in between sets should be limited to 30-45 seconds.
Follow the program as written for 10 weeks, moving up in weight when possible.
Monday: Back Workout
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Deadlift | 4 | 6 |
| 2. Lat Pull Down | 4 | 8-12 |
| 3. Dumbbell Row | 4 | 8-12 |
| 4. Hammer Strength Machine Row | 4 | 10 |
| 5. One Arm Cable Row | 3 | 12 |
| 6. Straight Arm Cable Pull Down | 2 | 15 |
Tuesday: Chest & Abs Workout
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Incline Bench Press | 4 | 6 |
| 2. Decline Bench Press | 4 | 8-12 |
| 3. Machine Bench Press | 3 | 6-12 |
| 4. Machine Fly | 3 | 12-15 |
| 5. Push Ups | 3 | Failure |
| 6. Machine Crunch | 3 | 15 |
| 7. Hanging Leg Raise | 3 | 12-15 |
Wednesday: Legs Workout
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Barbell Back Squat | 5 | 6 |
| 2. Romanian Deadlift | 4 | 8-12 |
| 3. Leg Press | 3 | 10-15 |
| 4. Leg Curl | 3 | 12-15 |
| 5. Walking Lunge | 3 | 15 Each |
| 6. Smith Machine Calf Raise | 4 | 20 |
Thursday: Shoulders & Abs Workout
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Military Press | 4 | 6 |
| 2. Lateral Raise | 4 | 8-12 |
| 3. Reverse Machine Fly | 4 | 8-12 |
| 4. Machine Shoulder Press | 3 | 6-10 |
| 5. Barbell Shrugs | 4 | 15 |
| 6. Decline Sit Up | 3 | 15 |
| 7. Barbell Roll Out | 3 | 12 |
Friday: Arms Workout
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| 1. EZ Bar Curl | 4 | 8-12 |
| 2. EZ Bar Skullcrusher | 4 | 8-12 |
| 3. Spider Curl | 4 | 8-12 |
| 4. Tricep Dip | 4 | 8-12 |
| 5. Cable Hammer Curl | 4 | 8-12 |
| 6. Cable Overhead Tricep Extension | 4 | 8-12 |
M-F Workout Routine Summary
The workout above is perfect for anyone who enjoys chasing pumps, doesn’t mind not hitting each muscle group twice a week, and enjoys a more traditional, old-school bodybuilding split.
Feel free to substitute any of the exercises listed for a preferred exercise. So long as the lifts target the same muscle group and in a similar fashion, there’s no problems with substituting for a different variation.
Cardio can be added to this program either immediately after the weight training session, at a different time of day, on rest days, or a combination of the three. The type of cardio, duration, and intensity will depend on your ability to recover and preferences.
This program can be used as either a cutting program or a bulking program depending on your nutrition while using it.
If you have any other questions regarding the M-F workout routine, please feel free to leave them in the comments section below.
233 Comments
Hii,
I am quite confuse to find the good workout plan for me as i am not
Overweight at all.I am at 80kg of weight with 6ft height and bit muscular
But i have some fat on my tummy that comes with the mass gainer i
used before .Now i want a plan that can put muscle mass on me and
Gain my weight upto 5 more kg and on the same hand i also want to
build My abs muscles coz i am taking rich protein diet so i wanna give
Its benefit to my abs muscles as well. Please help me finding a good
Workout plan For me.
Thankyou.
This may help you find the right program for your goals.
https://www.muscleandstrength.com/articles/how-to-choose-your-next-train...
Can I do this program the water it is but ad 3 bicep workout too back day and ad 3 Triceps work outs too Chest day?
I can see adding one of each to those workouts, but I think three would be too many, Michael. Recovery is important, and you already have a full arm workout in this program. Add one bicep and tricep that you like, and go from there. Hope this helps!
Is supersetting push-ups & crunches to get through the workout quicker recommended?
It certainly would save time. If you can feel you're capable, go for it.
I’m coming off the 4-day Power/Muscle/Burn 12 week program at the end of May and am looking at this one for my next series. I love the 4 days on 3 off, is there a best way I would possibly do this in 4 days?
You could split the arm workout and add triceps to one upper body workout and the other in another. Keep in mind that means you will spend more time in the gym for those days. If that doesn't work for you and four days is all you can do, you may need another program.
Thanks for the quick reply and recommendation, I’m going to give this a shot in 2 weeks. Thanks!
I have combined Monday Wednesday and friday workout together 3 days a week minus the abs and core moved abs and core to left day Tuesday and Thursday. Is this bad?
If it works for you, go for it.
BTW, patience is appreciated when questions are sent. I don't do this full time and I have other commitments. I get to them as quick as I can. That last comment you sent wasn't necessary and in the future will be ignored.
We appreciate you spending the time to answer our questions. Thank you!
Thank you for your help my apologies it looked as if you responded weekly. I will continue to recommend this to people that are trying to get in shape. Good workout!
Hi
Will this program help me gain mass and build muscle. I know you said that this program is good for cutting and building g muscle. But I don't quite understand how that works.
Thanks for a great program.
If you're eating properly to gain mass, then yes, this will work.
Some programs are designed with certain rep schemes, rest times, and rep ranges to help train the body in a way that supports certain goals. More rest time with compound exercises, heavy weights, and low rep ranges will boost strength while a mix of compound and isolation exercises with different rep ranges and shorter rest times help burn calories, develop smaller muscle groups, and improve the way you look.
Hope this helps!
Hi! Can I use this workout plan to lose fat?
As long as your diet is focuses on fat loss, then yes, you can. Hope this helps!
Hello I want to try this 5 day workout, but I personally would like to do the different body parts on different days(ex. I like arms to be monday, Legs are friday), does this matter at all? thank you in advance
It might affect how strong you are on those rescheduled days. For example, if you do arms first, then do chest or back on Tuesday, then your triceps or biceps won't be able to assist as much, so you may have to lower the weight you use. That is small, however, in the grand scheme of things. I think you'll be fine changing them. Just get them done.
Hi, is there a reason why you say you can do cardio after working out but not before? I'm fairly new to lifting/the gym but I always used cardio beforehand to help loosen my body and get warmed up.
Cardio depletes your glycogen if you do it first, which could affect your results when weight training.
Conversely, if you use that glycogen for the weights, your cardio will be more productive because you can burn excess calories as well as improve your aerobic fitness.
I am trying to get back into the lifting process again. I am wondering if it is good to do everyday separate body parts or do full body workouts. I’m looking to gain muscle and lose fat. I’m 5’10 235 now, I would love to get down to 205. If you suggest different body parts different days how many workouts per body part do you recommend?
How many exercises per body part do you reccomend??
Hi, Nick. I would suggest focusing on the fat loss first and this plan can help you do that. You may build a little muscle on the way, but focusing on fat loss would make the process easier. The workout plan here along with this guide could be a big help.
https://www.muscleandstrength.com/expert-guides/fat-loss
I’m into my 9th week of this workout and I have been blown away by the results I have gotten so far. I am a type 2 diabetic and my initial goal of starting to seriously dedicate myself to working out was to get my body system in good enough shape to where I could hopefully stop taking any of my diabetes medications and strictly control it with diet and exercise. Good news so far I have been able to get off of 2 out of the 3 medications that I was taking!! Of coarse though, I have complimented this workout with intense cardio following each workout(20 minutes on elliptical), and I have completely dedicated myself to a better, more focused and clean diet of higher protein and low carbs. I am 47 now, 6ft 3 in and was 238 lbs when I started this workout. I am now 226 lbs with much more muscle and definition starting to show, and abs showing up that I haven’t seen in 25 yrs!! I am one of those guys who played football in college back in the day and was familiar with working out for strength, but I didn’t want to focus on strength, instead I wanted to focus on leaning up and gaining lean muscle mass. I know it is hard to burn fat and build muscle at the same time, but with patience I have seen great results with this workout. The best thing about this journey so far has been that as I am seeing my body transform positively and I feel better and have more energy, it just motivates me more everyday to get to the gym and I can’t wait to go workout every afternoon. I added some things of my own in and was wondering what your thoughts about overworking a body part. I do abs and calves everyday with this workout and I get a good burn and pump everyday with them, should I take a break in between working abs and calves? Also, am I defeating some of my workout gains by doing cardio everyday after the workout? Also I have been struggling to decide what program to go to next or if it is o k to continue this one after the 10 weeks is over. My goal is to burn some more fat, but build on lean muscle mass. I still have some love handles that are stubbornly still hangin on that I need to get rid of. Sorry for such a long post, but I just wanted to thank y’all for sharing so many great workouts and being such a great resource for fitness information for people trying to find what would work best for them. Also for not charging people for this info like every other site tries to!!
First, Davy, congrats on the progress and thank you so much for sharing! That is what makes this community as awesome as it is.
The abs and calves are up to you. If you are seeing progress, keep doing them. Arnold Schwarzenegger did them every day when he was Mr. Olympia.
Once you see progress stall, then give them a break or change up what you're doing.
Thanks for reading M&S!
Hi!
I'll try this workout since I will go 5 days to the gym. I'm currently overweight but I want to focus more on building muscle especially on my arms and shoulders since they get cramped a lot (I work 14 hours on a desk).
I've been going 2-3 times per week and tried several rutines but I cant seem to find one I actually enjoy, so I will give this one a go! Thank you for sharing!
What cardio would you recommend, LISS or HITT, and how often in the plan? The main goal is fat loss.
Hi, Josh. I would say HIIT workouts 3-4 times a week, either separate from the workouts or after weight training. 15-20 minutes max should be all you need as long as you're eating properly and recovering well.
Hey there.
I've been using this routine religiously since January 1st. As I cycle off this ten week period I am looking at moving into two muscle groups a day style week workout. Any recommendations?
There may be something in this article that can help you. If not, let me know and I will see what I can find for you.
https://www.muscleandstrength.com/articles/how-to-choose-your-next-train...
Thank you for the information!
Currently 2months in and the results are crazy
I do work out plus run a mile or half mile before or after workout
Started at 249 and I’m down to 233
How can i warm up for each day?
This could help, Luca.
https://www.muscleandstrength.com/workouts/the-best-15-minute-warm-up
I've been out of the gym for quite some time (6 months or so) and starting to get back in. I like the idea of going 5 days a week. Is there a workout that would put me on the path of burning fat and building muscle at the same time? Is that even possible? Any recommendations?
Very, very difficult to burn fat and build muscle at the same time without alternative help, Gary. I would say focus on fat loss first, and I think this plan could help you do that.
Is there a nutrition plan that i should be following with this workout to just burn fat?
There is no specific plan, but this guide may help, Gary.
https://www.muscleandstrength.com/expert-guides/fat-loss
Hi, Roger
Is it possible to get a personalised plan according to my age and body condition? Aim is to reduce body fat and gain strength. Thanks
M&S doesn't do individualized plans. Your best bet would be to talk to a local trainer or online trainer you feel like you can trust.
With deadlifts, do I have to go with the highest possible weight I can lift and go for 6 reps? Or what RPE level should I go for?
My suggestion for these would be to go with RPE 6, 7, 8, then 9. No need to go all-out on these. The goal is to build muscle, not power.
When can take rest ??
Per the text in the article...
"Rest periods in between exercises should be limited to 60-90 seconds, and rest in between sets should be limited to 30-45 seconds."
No bro between days !!
It's a Monday through Friday program. Try to get 24 hours of rest if possible. If not, do the best you can. Definitely stay out of the gym on weekends. That is when you'll recover the most.
Hello, how many warm up sets and reps leading to this guide
1 to 2 warmups on the first exercise of each workout would be good. You can do one for each exercise if you want/need to feel the contractions and stretches. If not, then you should be good to go after the first exercise.
I have finished this programme. Can you give me another program ?
This should help you find your next program. Thanks for reading M&S!
https://www.muscleandstrength.com/articles/how-to-choose-your-next-train...